Swansea City midfielder Leon Britton may be forced to quit the Premier League club over the close-season in order to secure regular first-team football.
Britton who has played in all four divisions for Swansea was a key part of the Welsh club s ride into the top flight in 2011 and has been a mainstay in their midfield as a place in the Premier League was cemented.
However, injuries and the form of others hampered his last campaign, the 32-year-old only making nine league starts as Swansea achieved their highest Premier League finish and record points total.
As a result, Britton is considering his future and has not ruled out leaving the club ahead of next season.
I spoke to the manager just before the end of the season and we talked about the frustrating…
Barcelona plan to lodge an appeal after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued Robert Lewandowski with a three-match ban following his red card against Osasuna.
Lewandowski was shown two yellow cards in the first half of Barca s 2-1 win at El Sadar last Tuesday, in which goals from Pedri and Raphinha helped Xavi s men to a comeback victory.
On Wednesday, it was reported the RFEF had given Lewandowski an extended three-match suspension after accusing him of berating referee Gil Manzano following his dismissal.
That would rule Lewandowski, who is LaLiga s top scorer with 13 goals this campaign, out of the Blaugrana s fixtures against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis after the World Cup, but his club will attempt to overturn the ruling.
A club…
Premier League giants Arsenal are hot on the trail of Southampton hotshot Virgil van Dijk, according to The Times.
The Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believes the Dutch defender would add much needed steel to his back line and he is ready to pay top dollar for his services.
According to reports, Arsenal could make Van Dijk world’s most expensive defender considering that Southampton want €80 million for their star player.
The Gunners are not alone in the race for the Netherlands international as Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are keen as well.
Virgil van Dijk joined Southampton from Celtic in September 2015 and went on to feature in 67 Premier League fixtures.
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Shakhtar Donetsk striker Eduardo has revealed he would be open to the possibility of returning to the English Premier League one day.
The Croatia forward joined Arsenal in 2007 and enjoyed a productive start to his career in north London before suffering a horrific leg break during a game against Birmingham City.
That injury effectively cut short Eduardo s career in England after Arsene Wenger decided to cut his losses by selling the forward to Shakhtar but he now says he would be willing to listen to offers from Premier League clubs.
At the moment I still have two years left of my contract with Shakhtar Donetsk and from all I hear from the club they are really happy with me, which is very important, Eduardo told Goal.com.
But you never know. If a club…
James Tavernier admits Rangers’ opening day defeat to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park was “unacceptable” as he looks for a response in Europe in midweek.
The Light Blues were under some pressure after Celtic began the defence of their cinch Premiership title with a 4-2 win over Ross County on Saturday lunchtime but Michael Beale’s new-look side failed to get going.
Killie midfielder Brad Lyons scored the only goal of the game after 65 minutes to put an early dent in the Gers title hopes as they quickly turn their attention to the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Servette at Ibrox on Wednesday night.
James Tavernier spoke to after today’s match against Kilmarnock.
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC)
The Light Blues sk…
AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini has slammed the club s apparent intention to sell Thiago Silva to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazil international is reputedly on the verge of agreeing a move to the Parc des Princes outfit, with Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi admitting that the club were unable to resist PSG s offer.
Several of Milan s players have made no secret that they are against Thiago Silva s sale, and Maldini has no doubt that the 27-year-old s departure is a heavy blow for the club.
A player like Thiago Silva is impossible to replace, Maldini told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Those who have trained with him are not surprised by his growth.
He has good positioning, technique, speed and a great personality. He is the best defender in the world b…
Sunderland manager Martin O Neill says his side will try to emulate the success of rivals Newcastle in the new Premier League season.
The Stadium of Light outfit failed to finish above Newcastle for the first time since 2008 last term, as Alan Pardew s side mounted a shock challenge for Champions League football before eventually securing a Europa League berth.
And O Neill, who took charge of the Wearside club following Steve Bruce s sacking in December, hopes to see his side use that fact to their advantage next time round.
If it hasn t upped the ante, it certainly should do, he told reporters.
It was a great season for Newcastle. It might have been unexpected in some quarters, but they signed some very good players and it worked out brilliantly for t…
Borussia Monchengladbach should appoint former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp to replace Lucien Favre, club icon Berti Vogts has said.
Favre resigned on Sunday after the Bundesliga side s poor start to the 2015-16 campaign left them rock bottom of the table without a point from five games.
Gladbach also suffered a defeat to Sevilla in their opening Champions League game after impressively finishing third behind Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg last season.
The search is now on for a new head coach and former Scotland manager Vogts, who won five titles while playing for the club between 1965 and 1979, believes Klopp is the ideal man.
My advice would be to get Jurgen Klopp, Vogts told Aktuelle Nachrichten.
Borussia is a team you can push to the to…
Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini is still hopeful of agreeing a deal for Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, .
The Serie A side have regularly been linked with a move for the Ivory Coast international over the past few months, though he has all but confirmed that he is happy to see out the remainder of his current deal.
Mancini took Toure to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2010, and he has since racked up two hundred and twenty-one appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring sixty-seven goals.
He scored the winning goal in the 2011 FA Cup final victory over Stoke City and also netted a wonder-strike in the 3-1 win over Sunderland in the 2014 League Cup final while he was a key figure in the title winning 2011/12 and 2013/14 campaigns.
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History against Arsenal as Bayern visit, Cristiano Ronaldo seeking to end dry spell – Champions Leag
Arsenal face a seemingly impossible task in reaching the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Bayern Munich while holders Real Madrid head to Napoli in a strong position ahead of Tuesday s second legs.
Madrid came from behind at the Santiago Bernabeu to beat Maurizio Sarri s men 3-1, while Arsenal found themselves on the end of a 5-1 demolition job at the Allianz Arena.
Napoli s home record of one defeat in 13 matches across all competitions although that loss came just nine days ago against Atalanta at least gives them a fighting chance, but Arsene Wenger s side will have to score at least four past Bayern at the Emirates, a feat not managed by any team since Wolfsburg in January 2015.
We look at the most pertinent stats from the two fixtu…